Tag Archives: Graham Ward

This week I and several of my colleagues here at the University of Nottingham are preparing ourselves for this year’s Centre of Theology and Philosophy conference on The Soul. The line-up definitely looks excellent:

Plenary 1: Iain McGilchrist and Conor Cunningham

Plenary 2: John Milbank and David Bentley Hart

Plenary 3: Marilynne Robinson with response from John de Gruchy

An Interview with Mary Midgley in conversation with Graham Ward

Plenary 4: William Desmond and respondents.

Plus a great line-up of parallel sessions, one of which I’ll be presenting in on C. S. Lewis, his science-fiction, the Church Fathers, and, of course, deification.

Therefore, my time this week is going to spent working on my second chapter and refining my presentation for the conference. What this means for me is mornings spent writing one thing, and afternoons spent editing another. Here’s hoping I don’t get the two confused.

Also, perhaps quite apropos for the paper I’m giving, this year’s conference is in Oxford, so you can trust that trips to the Eagle and Child Pub, where the Inklings would meet once a week, will be in my future. I’ll write another post once the conference is over. For now, enjoy the rest of your week as I get ready to confer.

Today I want to introduce you to someone who I have heard others call the rock star of the theology department here at Nottingham, Conor Cunningham. Conor is certainly one of the most well known faces from our department and his name is perhaps second only to that of John Milbank in certain theological and philosophical circles.

Conor was born and raised in Belfast, and remained there until his university days. He began his academic career studying law, but through various channels found his way first to a degree in philosophy and then another in theology, on top of his law degree. Conor did his PhD initially under John Milbank, but when Milbank took up a position in Virginia, Conor finished his degree under the supervision of Graham Ward (another man who works within the sensibility of Radical Orthodoxy).

Conor’s courses centre around philosophy, theology, and science. He co-teaches a course Atheism with many other members of our faculty, as well as a course on Darwinism and theology. Conor’s teaching list also includes courses on phenomenology and philosophy of religion. Conor’s research interests are nearly as broad as his personality and this makes him an excellent writer and an entertaining and informative lecturer.

Bibliography

Below are three main works by Conor to show the breadth of his research interests.

“Being Recalled: Life as Anamnesis.” In Divine Transcendence and Immanence in the Work of Thomas Aquinas, edited by Harm Goris, Herwi Rikhof, and Henk Schoot, 59–80. New Series XIII. Leuven: Peeters, 2009.

Darwin’s Pious Idea: Why the Ultra-Darwinists and Creationists Both Get It Wrong. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 2010. 236

Genealogy of Nihilism: Philosophies of Nothing and the Difference of Theology. Radical Orthodoxy. London: Routledge, 2002.

Videos

Why Study Nature and Grace?

Why Study Atheism?

Why Study Theology?

Why Study Evolution?

Did Darwin Kill God?

I hope you’ve enjoyed Conor’s videos, especially his enthusiasm. I highly recommend his Darwin’s Pious Idea for any who want to see the short-comings of Ultra-Darwinism and Creationism.